2015 Ram 3500 Tradesman Diesel SRW
I'm thinking of purchasing a 2105 Ram 3500 crew cab Tradesman Diesel SRW with 79,000 miles on it. They are asking around $34,000. The truck is in New Jersey. This is my first diesel truck, so I had a ...
Forum Discussion
Careful with used 2500 and heavier pickups no matter gas or diesel in the basic trim levels, Dodge Tradesman, GM LS or AT, etc.
A lot of times those trucks come off lease from businesses, go to the auction, and then end up on the used dealer lot. Get a scanner that can read engine hours. A dealer trick is to go into the ecu and disable the engine time readout from being available by default. I've seen many trucks at auction come off lease and be low mileage but the engine ticker shows 5K or 6K hours, because the truck sat idling 40 hours or more per week on a construction or fracking site.
When you drive by highway construction sites look at the amount of pickups sitting idling with no one in them. Most basic trim level trucks are bought by businesses, not private owners, and when the lease expires they get auctioned, detailed, and end up on used lots at both independent and franchised dealers. If you're in an area with active oil or natural gas plays be extra careful. Here in western PA with the Marcellus shale gas boom lots of off lease fleet trucks are being dumped on dealer lots. Many are white.
Carfax may be of some help but usually it's more beneficial to be used to wipe your ass.
A lot of times those trucks come off lease from businesses, go to the auction, and then end up on the used dealer lot. Get a scanner that can read engine hours. A dealer trick is to go into the ecu and disable the engine time readout from being available by default. I've seen many trucks at auction come off lease and be low mileage but the engine ticker shows 5K or 6K hours, because the truck sat idling 40 hours or more per week on a construction or fracking site.
When you drive by highway construction sites look at the amount of pickups sitting idling with no one in them. Most basic trim level trucks are bought by businesses, not private owners, and when the lease expires they get auctioned, detailed, and end up on used lots at both independent and franchised dealers. If you're in an area with active oil or natural gas plays be extra careful. Here in western PA with the Marcellus shale gas boom lots of off lease fleet trucks are being dumped on dealer lots. Many are white.
Carfax may be of some help but usually it's more beneficial to be used to wipe your ass.
